While it's still a couple of months away, rising airline tickets and limited hotel space means that anyone planning on heading to the big Search Engine Strategies show in San Jose this August likely needs to get moving on travel arrangements. Of all the major American shows, San Jose tends to be one of the most entertaining, and it's certainly my top choice for those that can only attend one show a year. There's something to be said for enjoying a party at the Googleplex, or heading to a theme park entirely rented out by Yahoo! just for the search marketing crowd to get you in the mood to talk shop.

Oh yes...there will be PLENTY of talking shop at the show. In fact, gone are the days of picking between two or three sessions...Search Engine Strategies now serves up FIVE full tracks of information on everything related to search. From social networks to blogging to link building to algorithm digging, if it's related to search engines and marketing, it's likely going to be covered at this show.

I'll be there for the week and will be speaking in at least three different sessions, including the ever popular "Pimp My Site." Search Engine Guide readers should take note that day three even features a "Small is Beautiful" track aimed at providing information that's tailored to the Small Business crowd. It's not a cheap show to attend, requiring about $1700 to be drained from your account along with whatever you spend on travel and hotel...but it's a fantastic resource for honing your skills, meeting up with a wide variety of vendors and generally, putting yourself in a better spot when it comes to knowing what you need to know.

For more information, including the agenda, hotel information and registration, see the Search Engine Strategies web site.